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He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds;
my other ears that hear above the winds.
He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea.

He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason
for being by the way he rests against my leg;
by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile;
by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not
along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.

Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful.

He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion.

With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace.
He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and
unknown things.

He has promised to wait for me...whenever...wherever...
in case I need him.

I don't have a poem to share, but not a day goes by that I don't think about my black lab of 13 years Ted.
I lost him this past summer. I still catch myself looking for him to let outside every morning.
He is buried in a corner of our property and I visit him often.

This is the hardest thred I have ever read!!! At work I have had trouble even walking out of my office for the big tears that choke up in me.

Like the previous I dont have a poem, just a strong love and addiction to my Lab(s) I just wanted to say thanks to yall for the read!

I get real attached to my Retrievers and if you manage to have one take up a decade of your life and trully love him like they are supposed to be, you all know what I mean.

Jessie was a 14 year old chocolate i lost April 9th 2 years ago. I try to remember all the stuff that lab got into but am having recolection problems. The memories they come and go, good and bad... all but the last one have big smiles with it.

Here is the best advise I was ever given on this subject... YOUR HEART IS BIG ENOUGH TO LOVE ANOTHER. SO DONT WASTE ANY TIME STARTING THAT NEXT PUPPY! IT WILL HELP HEAL YOUR HEART!

also...my wife said Its time to get a new Lab or a new wife

Enter Beau, he is the replacment but has already made a big name for himself around our house. I am trying to document all of his life in pictures his personality and expressions so i know I will be able to remember him better as the years begin to fly by.

Here is a poem especially written for me by my good friend after the death of my Monica (YLF) who died on July 20, 2005 from injuries sustained from being hit by a car on June 9, 2004. This poem was my only solace then. I was blessed to have such a noble dedication written by a man of such great stature and prominence. I can only hope that someone else gains comfort from his act of love and devotion.

From Monica to Her Master & Mistress

Please take heart,
My dear Master and Mistress.
I know my departure
From this life
Has left you in deepest pain and sorrow.
But the physical divide of death,
great as it is,
Is bridged in a breath
By the spirit.
Thus am I always
close by.

Remember our happy times together,
especially in the park.
When you are walking there,
open your hearts, eyes,
And look - over there.
I am rolling on the grass;
Or nearby; I am muzzling
into your hand.
So please take heart,
dear Master and Mistress;
I am here.

For as long as this thread has been here, I have never read through the whole thing. I can't handle it. I do look at bits and pieces and have read some beautiful stories, poems and anecdotes. But it's way too emotional... thank you all for sharing on this wonderful thread.

About 2-3 times a week, I recall Allie getting sick at the master national and Joie doing everything he could to save her. I realize that for three weeks she absolutely suffered and it pains me terribly... I miss her so much... And then add Joie to that and I go over the edge... I love this thread, but it sure does make me recall a little too vividly the most horrible time in my life.

I believe this is one of the best site/list out there for our special kids. I have given this site address to a lot of friends who have lost their best friends in place of a sympathy card. I belong to 3 retriever clubs in FL as well as Orlando Dog Training Club. This past year, ,members have lost a number of dogs and they all come back to me after visiting this list with the same positive comments such as "what a great list, they said it just like I feel and couldn't express, I've bookmarked this because I know I will need to send it to some of my friends soon." etc. Please continue to have this available. Thanks all for contributing to it.

You woke-up with me every morning with vigor and zest.
We’d start the day off, like it was our last.
I could see the sadness in your eyes when I’d leave every morning,
Only to be greeted upon arrival with kisses and anticipation.
You meant the greatest of all to me and will always be in my heart.
Now that our lives have sadly departed, only have memories left of you.
I will undyingly miss you.
The joy of you being part of my life and the pain losing you in my heart.
My friend . . . . . My best friend . . . .My dog.

Morgan "Birdlord" Sunsets
10-9-93....11-2-07 This still hurts so much,I don't know how people can write the beautiful things that are contained in this thread.
We were fortunate to have each other for as long as we did.

What a great thread and thank you all for sharing. I'm more of a reader here but 3 ago weeks had to put down my 10 year old black lab Suzie, this is the trubute to her I put on some other boards.

Tribute
You know in your heart the day you bring them home at 8 weeks and look into those small eyes there will come this day, still when it comes it is difficult to take, there time is to short, every second with them seems so much more valuable and you look back hoping, praying and wondering if you made the most of it all.

A few weeks ago Suzie started acting different, lethargic and just not herself. She had her moments of her old self and then last week she began to not want to eat all her food. At the same time I felt what I thought was something on her right side at the end of her ribs, was I imagining things? I made a vet appointment and Tuesday night my worst fears were realized. It was a very large tumor that in a week had become even more pronounced. Options were an ultrasound to find out the extent of the tumor and what and how many other organs were involved, surgery was the only option, no pill would make this go away.

No decision needed to be made right them so I took her back down to Debbies to be with her as I knew in my heart this was it. At 10 years old I could not see her going through an operation of this magnitude. She stayed with her until wed night when she told me to take her home where she was comfortable. She had stopped eating on Thursday almost completely and by Friday was fading fast and getting weak and in my eyes was getting uncomfortable. I took the day off and spent it with her yesterday knowing it would be our final hours together. Today at 1:00 I hugged her and kissed her head and cried my eyes out as I am right now typing this as the first of 2 needles entered her leg. I wrapped her in her favorite blanket and laid her on the the seat and took her to say goodbye to Debbie at the SPCA where she will be cremated. I would be a liar if I didn't say this was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.

She was such a good dog, there are better gundogs out there but in my mind she was the greatest. She was a veteran of many campaigns with me always by my side in every weather you could imagine, in every circumstance to. From the Penobscot River and sloughs of Maine, to the untold areas of New York and the wetlands sloughs and rivers of Iowa to the nasty stick ponds here at home she was well traveled and well liked by all who met her. She only carried one title and that was the title to my heart, she never had to prove anything to anyone, she just loved her work, from the first pair of woodrows she retrieved in her first year to the big crippled canadas that she relished more than anything. She was a good dog and always will be. Now in peace she can have nonstop retrieves and birds all day everyday.

Her ashes will be placed in two woodie decoys that I will carve so she can still hunt with me at least once a year, the rest of her ashes will sit in an urn flanked by the decoys the rest of the time. She will never be forgotten, every snot hole I step in, every farm I walk, every where I hunt she's been there and I know will still be with me.

Years ago on another site I posted this poem I wrote for her for when this dreaded day comes, a good friend helped me retrieve it from there and it will grace my wall with a favorite picture of her as well.

"Paw prints in the ashes"

She was born at night, in the late winters cold,
Which she came to ignore, almost seemingly bold,

She was black as night, in her thick laden fur,
Which defined her breed, her lineage, it defined her,

For the water she loved, and was so at peace,
Chasing bumpers, rising trout, ducks even geese,

The states we crossed, the fields we traced,
I'm glad to have known her, for I have been graced,

She was my companion, she was my friend,
My best hunting pal, until the end,

As I allow the dust, to blow into the wind,
My lonely hearts tears, soon to begin,

Now in her favorite place, in her brilliant flashes,
To leave her telltale pawprints, in the ashes.

When I wrote this years ago I never dreamed how hard it would be to write them at this time. To all who have gave encouraging words lately and all the good thoughts, thank you, more than you know.

I could not do this without including just a few of my favorite images of her, if I have but one regret it is the fact I have 100s of pictures of her and less then maybe 6 of her and I.

Euthanasia is never an easy decision, and incredibly difficult when you are the one faced with it. On April 7, 2009 I was faced with realization that it was the most selfless act I could do for my old friend. HRCH Quiver Creek's Rowdy Abigail MH quietly went to sleep with my hands around her face, so that her last breaths would be filled with me.

We brought Abby home to Ten Bear Kennels to rest in good company with HRCH Jasmine Black as Night (500 point HRC dog with countless Master passes) and AFC HRCH Carronade's Lady Katherine MH (The youngest dog ever in HRC to have 500 points at 26 month of age, and many consecutive Master passes, and FT success).

I can look out the kitchen window of my home and see the resting place of the dog that changed and shaped my life from the time she entered it. Here's to you Abby, 500 point HRC dog and only one of 27 dogs that made it to the 3 rd series at the Grand in Mississippi. Abby, you were all heart. 3/6/1996-4/7/2009